Operating mechanism for car-doors.



No. 663,03I. Patented Dec.*4, |900.

' G. I. KING.

`(IPEIIATING IIIECI'IANISM FOR CAR. DDORSL (Application filed Sept. 4, 1900." (no www.) 2 sheets-snee: I.

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OPIEBATING MIEQHANISM,k FUR CAR DOUBS.

(Application filed Sept. 4, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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NiTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I. KING, OF DETROIT, MIOHIGAN,VASSIGNOR TO T-IIE AMERICAN OAR AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

OPERATING IVIECHANISIVI FOR CAR-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 663,031, dated December 4, 1900.

Application filed September 4, 1900. Serial No. 28,900. \No model.)

To all whom, i? may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE I. KING, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Detroit, in the State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Operating Mechanism for Oar-Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a top plan view of the under framing of a car, the flooring being removed to more clearly show my improved door-operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 3 3, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line t 4, Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of one of the doors.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in operating mechanism for cardoors, being designed particularly for use in connection with doors which swing down- Wardly to open the exit for the load arranged in the floor of a car.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a construction of gondola-car such as is illustrated and described in an application filed by me May 7, 1900, Serial No. 15,817, for which construction my improved door-opel'- ating mechanism is especially designed; but it is obvious that there may be other constructions to which my present invention may be applied.

The object of my present invention is to provide mechanism to control oppositelyswinging doors arranged in the floors of the cars, whereby said doors may be opened and closed simultaneously, and when closed may be locked in such position by a single locking device.

With this object in View the invention consists in the employment of drums, sheaves, and chains or cables for operating the doors, all as will hereinafter be described and after,- ward pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings I have shown the center sills 23 as being most widely separated in the middle of the car, said sills being in the form of channels and forming the side walls of the opening in the floor of the car.

32 represents the cross-tie channels secured to the center sills, said cross-channels forming the end walls of the opening.

l and 2 indicate a pair of doors hinged, re spectively, to the center sills through the medium of suitable brackets. These doors are preferably braced by U shaped frames 3,

`whose ends form the hinge-eyes for the door,

while the closing edges of each door are reinforced by angles 4, said angles being of such length as to extend beyond the crosschannels 32.

5 and 6 indicate chains or cables, which are secured to suitable eyes fastened to the projecting ends of the reinforcing angles 4. These chains or cables 5 and 6 pass over a sheave 7, mounted in a suitable bracket 8, secured to the cross-channel 32, after which said chains or cables merge into a single chain or cable and pass through the web of the center sill, and thence around a suitable sheave 9, mounted in a bracket secured to the outer face of said center sill. From sheave 9 the chain or cable is wound upon a main drum 10, mounted upon a shaft 1l, upon the outer end of which shaft is arranged the usual pawl-and-ratchet mechanism l2 and a squared end or shank for receiving a wrench, whereby said shaft and drum may be rotated. This main drum 10, in addition to accommodating the chain or cable common to the chains or cables 5 and 6 above described, also accommodates a chain or cable which is wound in the opposite direction and which passes around a sheave 9a, thence through the center sill, Where it is attached to divided ends 5iL and 6iL after passing over a sheave 7, mounted in a bracket 8a. The ends 5fL and 6a are attached to eyes secured to lthe projecting ends of the reinforcing-angles lLas before described.

To strengthen the reinforcing-angles, the

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them to'swing downwardly, thus rendering available the opening in the door. In closing the doors it is only necessary to attach a Wrench and wind the chains or cables on the main drum, throwing the pawl into engagement with its ratchet to lock the doors in their closed position.

I am aware that minor changes in the arrangement, construction, and combination of the several parts can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without, in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The herein-described door comprising a U-shaped frame to which the panels of the doors proper are secured, and a reinforcingangle arranged along the closing edge of the door, said reinforcing-angle projecting rbeyond the edges of said panel proper; substantially as described.

2. The combination with oppositely-swinging doors, of reinforcing-angles projecting beyond the ends thereof, chains or cables attached to theprojecting ends of said angles, sheaves over which-said chains or cables pass, and a main drum upon which said .chainsor cables are wound; substantially as described.

3. The combination with the center sills and cross-beams forming the side and end walls of an exit-opening, of doors hinged to said center sills, reinforcing-angles arranged along the closing edges of said doors and projecting beyond said cross-beams, sheaves mounted upon said cross-beams, cables secured to said projecting ends of the reinforcingangles, and passing over said sheaves, a main drum around which said chains or cables pass, and a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism coperating with said main drum; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 4th'day of September, 1900.

GEORGE I.V KING. 

